This is a very common question I get from entrepreneurs and business owners that wish to use Facebook: should they have a page, a group, or both?
As everything else in using social media for business, the straight answer to this question depends on the specifics of your business and your goals. And also, your preference.
I personally have both: a Facebook brand page and a Facebook closed group. I feel both work really well for my coaching business and I have been achieving my goals with both (which are different).
So, in this article I’ll tell you the main differences between having a page and a group, so you are more aware of which to go for (or even choose both):
Facebook Fan Page
A Facebook Fan Page is basically a platform for businesses, brands, companies, etc, to tell/inform their audience all about them.
People can “like” your fan page and receive updates in their News Feed.
How Do Entrepreneurs Use Them?
Again, all businesses and people are different, but through a page you can share stories about yourself and your business, events, blog posts, updates, products and services, generate discussions, add calls-to-action to your posts so you drive traffic back to your website/blog, and even do live videos.
What Are The Benefits of Having a Page?
There are several benefits of having a page that you do not have with a group. The main ones are:
- Advertising: You can promote your posts through Facebook’s advertising system and reach a wider targeted audience, driving traffic straight into your website. This is great to promote events, discounts, free goodies such as webinars or ebooks. It connects you with the right people and make them take some form of action.
- Your Page is Public: Although with groups you also have the option of having them puclic, with pages that is not an option, all of your content is always public for everyone to see. More people can find you, but the main benefit is really showing up in search engine results like Google – which is great for your online exposure. And you also have the option of blocking people is any issues arise with anyone.
- Share: Because pages are public, you can share the content you post into your personal profile, and so can anyone else, so encourage people to share if they like your content!
- Your Identity is Private: This of course depends on the specific business you have, but if you prefer, you can remain anonymous and not having your real name associated with your business.
- Unlimited Fans: There is no limit to the amount of people that can like and follow your page.
- Page Insights: You have statistics incorporated right into your page, which tells you all about it: ths posts with more likes, shares, and engagement. This can be key in order to understand more of your audience and what they really like, so you share more of it.
- Messaging System: Every page comes with the ability to receive private messages from people who find you. this is a greta opportunity to connect with people on a individual basis.
- Apps: You can install several apps on your fan page, like connections to other social media networks, pages for your products or services, etc. I like the toll Woobox.com for that.
The two main drawback of fan pages at the moment:
Public: Although this can be a good thing to get more people to find you, it can also decrease the engagement and interaction, since a lot of people can feel “put off” of commenting and sharing personal stuff on a public space. And that is why many heart-centered entrepreneurs also prefer to have a closed group.
Reach: Many heart-centered entrepreneurs have been complaining that since Facebook changed its algorithm, their reach is not as big as it used to be. Many people who like and follow your page do not see your updates – unless you have a very big following.
Facebook Groups
A Facebook group is a space where people join together to talk about shared common interests in a place that feels like a “community” of like-minded people.
It has a more private “feel” than a fan page and many people feel much more at ease to engage in discussions and share their opinions and experiences.
How Do Entrepreneurs Use Them?
Many entrepreneurs have closed groups (where only members can see the content), as a way to really engage their audience in a private space.
This way you can generate deeper discussions around specific topics and also share content that is more “exclusive”.
Many entrepreneurs use their closed groups to do live videos and really connect with their members.
You can have as many groups as you wish, all with different topics and subjects – it’s all about how much time you have to dedicate to each one really – sometimes less is more here.
What Are The Benefits of Having a Group?
- Public or closed: You can choose whether to have your group public where all content is visible to everyone or make it closed, so only members can see your content.
Many entrepreneurs feel that having a closed group is much better option because it creates that feeling of a safe space and community amongst their members. It also makes people curious to what is happening there, so encourages them to join. You, as anyone else, cannot share content to other places outside the group though.
- Secret: You also have the option to have a secret group (that doesn’t appear on search results). Heart-centered entrepreneurs usually use them for private clients, group coaching sessions, specific events, training videos, etc. People can only access the group when you provide them the link to it.
- Great for Interaction and Engagement: As mentioned before, groups are a great way to encourage people to interact with your content, share and feel engaged, because of that feeling of being a safe community. It is of course your responsibility to show up consistently and authentically and interact with members, in order to promote that feeling. Groups are also a great place for people to connect with each other, so promote that as well.
- Know and Connect Your Audience: A massive part of growing a heart-centered business through social media is not about using marketing methods or tactics, but about real connections with people. Groups promote this opportunity for you to create strong connections and relationships with your members that can easily turn into clients. So, showing up fully and authentically in your group is a must, as well as paying attention to what people are saying and interacting to them.
- Group Docs: While you can share pictures and videos on fan pages, you are not able to share documents, such as Word documents, Powerpoint presentations, or PDFs. You can share all of those in groups.
- Better Reach: Unless someone turns off notifications for your group, members will likely see everything that you post because they receive a notification every time you post something new -how cool is that!? 🙂
Which One To Use?
In my opinion, it’s best if you think about what are your goals with using Facebook for your business before deciding to have a page, a group, or both.
It requires time and dedication to see results, so you might want to be strategic with your social media presence and do not spread yourself too thin.
And of course, you can always test the waters and try both and see for yourself what works best!
